Tag Archives: Brian Bolland

This post will showcase two of the biggest pop culture entities that have appeared together … Star Wars and 2000 AD. If you know of any other 2000 AD titles that feature Star Wars please let me know. Here are the issues I’ve collected so far.

2000 AD and Tornado, prog 166, 1980, features the above Brian Bolland cover used to promote Chad Valley’s Star Wars Electronic Battle Command game. Inside the comic is a page with competition details on how to win one of fifteen of these electronic games, along with twenty runners-up prizes of Star Wars large action figures.

UK. 2000 AD and Tornado. 1980.

This is not the first time I’ve come across 2000 AD and Star Wars together. Here is my copy of prog 44 from 1977, which devoted some of its cover along with a two-page photo review on the upcoming movie that would prove to be a worldwide sensation.

Recently I picked up some 1980s French issues of Judge Dredd comic published by Aredit. As with the UK versions published by Eagle comics, most of the adverts featured inside are for other comic book publications. Here are four cool ads I found.

British comic 2000 AD has always been a firm favourite since I was a kid. For me their titles have consistently provided a colourful and anarchic, black-humoured universe full of sharply-observed characters.

My favourite characters were often the ones found in Mega-City One… Judges Dredd, Anderson and Hershey, The Dark Judges, the Angel Gang and so on. I’ve pulled a few random covers from my collection to show here. Some of the covers are from Eagle Comics which reprinted 2000 AD stories in a US style format during the mid-eighties. Hope you enjoy.

As I was preparing this post during the week I learned the sad news that Brett Ewins had passed away on the 16th February. Brett was a major contributor to many 2000 AD titles. The first two pictures in this post are by Brett. RIP dude.

I’m pleased to add this 1980 advert to my collection. It’s a Forbidden Planet promotion inviting fans along to their original and first London store to welcome visits by Dave Prowse (Darth Vader) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO).

UK. Starburst 22. 1980.

The ad style reminds me of an old-school boxing poster or a concert venue ad. It has a certain ‘seasoned’ quality to it – and not just because of the foxing of the paper: the store premises, located in London – number 23 Denmark Street – was Forbidden Planet’s first High Street store, opening in 1978.

This 1978 ad below is probably one of the first adverts for the Denmark Street store. The artwork is by Brian Bolland. Beneath an impressive line up of famous comic stars all trying to snatch a peek over Superman’s shoulders at what the Man of Steel is reading, the advert proudly proclaims: “Londons Newest Comic & Science Fiction Book Shop!!!”

UK. Star Wars Weekly. 1978.

Due to its success and the demise of some of London’s older comic book outlets, Forbidden Planet grew up quickly and offered a broad product base, attracting fans of not just comics but also TV and film. A second store purchase (nearby in St. Giles High Street) was required to cope with its popularity. Later, further location moves were necessary and the Denmark Street and St. Giles High Street stores eventually combined and moved to new premises.

Mail Order Catalogues

The following two adverts, with artwork by Brian Bolland, are both 1980 Denmark Street survivors. This first invites readers to send off for a catalogue of their choice from three categories: film & TV; science fiction & horror; and comics.

UK. Starburst 24. 1980.

UK. Starburst. 1980.

Denmark Street in 1983

This 1983 ad features a range of Return of the Jedi merchandise and a Star Trek 1984 calendar available for order by sending a cheque or postal order to the Denmark Street address.

Denmark Street in 1986

This superb colour ad (recognise Bolland’s work again?) mentions both the Denmark Street and St. Giles Street shops. The former is credited as ‘The science fiction and comic book shop’ while the latter is credited as ‘The cinema and television shop’. The advert also appears as a variation in 1984 showing alternative merchandise pictures to the later version below.

UK. 2000 AD’s Dice Man #1. 1986.

Denmark Street in 1987

2000 AD Sci-Fi Special. 1987.

Denmark Street in a comic strip!

23 Denmark Street the shop actually makes a surprise appearance in the 1987 photo story Nemesis The Warlock published in 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special.

Nemesis the Warlock photo strip. 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special. 1987.

I mean, it’s got to be it, hasn’t it? Forbidden Planet logo on the window, 23 on the door…

23 Denmark Street.

Denmark Street in 1988

Here we can see the appearance of other branches outside of London: Milton Keynes, Brighton and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

UK. 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special. 1988.

Forbidden Planet Today

The company eventually split into two entities: Forbidden Planet and Forbidden Planet Scotland (later renamed Forbidden Planet International). To date they have some thirty stores between them situated all across the UK including well-known associate stores such as Nostalgia and Comics in Birmingham and Liverpool’s Worlds Apart, along with a US store in Manhattan, New York. Forbidden Planet also offers an established webstore and online presence. Not bad for its humble beginnings as a small high street comic store on Denmark Street, WC2.

Forbidden Planet 40th anniversary 1978 – 2018

I picked up this rather cool souvenir magazine at the FP store in Birmingham, England on a recent visit. So pleasing to see the Brian Bolland original artwork used to commemorate their big 40. Congrats FP, and here’s to another 40!

I spend a lot of time browsing for ads in retro comics and magazines, so why not spotlight some of the great cover art, and learn about a few artists along the way? To kick off, let’s take a look at the work of Tom Sutton and Brian Bolland.

TOM SUTTON

Tom Sutton (also used the names Thomas F. Sutton, Sean Todd, and Dementia) worked as an artist throughout the 1960s up to his death in 2002. More a specialist of the supernatural than superheroes, Sutton worked on titles such as Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Vampirella, Planet of the Apes, I Vampire, and Star Trek among many others.

BRIAN BOLLAND

Brian Bolland is probably best known for his Judge Dredd covers in the British comic publication 2000 A.D. Some of his other works include Batman: The Killing Joke, and Batman: Black and White. Bolland also created Star Wars line-drawing adverts for the Palitoy toy company.

TVTA ad counter

TVTA has now published 2,999 print adverts! That’s enough advertising to encircle the planet three times, hot enough to fry an egg, deep enough to contain six olympic swimming pools and faster than a cheetah driving a Formula One car!!